A creature that is fragile, shy and virtually harmless. Is that any way to describe our horror image of the vicious tarantula of movie fame? Yes it is because by and large these spiders are timid creatures. Although they are venomous there is no reliable report of the venom killing any human.
When tarantulas mate it is more like they are dancing the tango. Their front legs touch and then she sidesteps with him following. He caresses her and gradually face-to-face they entwine their front limbs together. The tango continues with the male hooking his front legs over her fangs and with his second set of legs bends her backward. Then the moment arrives when he reaches under to transfer his sperm into a furrow in her mid section. Because a female may kill her sex partner after the dance is complete the male quickly scrambles out of reach of her legs.
Although the sex dance is intricate and charming these creatures don’t do much but sit and wait as predators. They can’t leap or construct intricate webs or ensnare an insect with silken threads. No, they just wait for the next passers by and attack the unsuspecting one in its path with their venomous fangs.
Tarantulas can live to more than 20 years and grow to the size of a dinner plate which is too big to stomp under foot like a regular spider. But they aren’t the gargantuan scary size as seen in the 1955 film Tarantula. In this scary flick a hundred foot tarantula crushed houses and eats cattle.
No wonder the tarantula has developed an undeserved reputation when in reality it is such as shy and virtually harmless spider to the human race.
